First, the good news. Sir Simon Rattle’s 1984 CBSO account of the Britten Sinfonia da Requiem continues to strike me as a model of blistering fervour and scrupulous observation. Although the composer’s own 1964 version with the New Philharmonia generates a very special emotional charge (and Decca’s Culshaw/Wilkinson Kingsway Hall production sounds spectacularly full-bodied still), Rattle need fear little in comparison with any modern rival. EMI’s recording is vivid and true. In sum, a distinguished achievement.

However, I’m less convinced by the Holst. For starters, the early digital sound (December 1980 vintage), although admirably detailed for the most part, lacks something in sheer depth and bloom (the Philharmonia fiddles acquire an unappealing edginess above the stave). Concentration levels, too, are inconsistent: a fiery, if slightly efficient ‘Mars’, for example, is followed by a comparatively listless ‘Venus’ and literal ‘Mercury’. Elsewhere, ‘Jupiter’ falls short in terms of toe-tapping swagger, while ‘Uranus’ would have benefited from a touch more mischief. As is so often the case, ‘Saturn’ stands out from the rest, treading remorselessly to its unnerving apex (awesome brass sonorities), but Rattle’s thoughtful interpretation as a whole fails to add up to the sum of some intermittently impressive parts.

Reasonable value overall, I suppose, but for a Planets within this particular price-range Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC SO will yield longer-term rewards (and receive demonstration-worthy engineering from Tony Faulkner into the bargain).